Its stems have prominently-veined, wide or narrow lance-shaped leaves 5 to 15 centimeters long and inflorescences of two or three showy orchids near the top.

The lowest petal is cup-shaped with a pointed, tongue-like protuberance and is brighter red-brown and more starkly veined, often with areas of yellow.

This plant grows in wet areas in a variety of habitats, including riverbanks, hot springs, and meadows at elevations less than 2,600 feet.

A distinctive race with burgundy colored foliage is known from The Cedars in Sonoma County California, an area of serpentine rock, and it is called forma rubrifolia (P M Brown).

Epipactis gigantea is cultivated in the specialty horticulture trade and available as a non-wild collected propagated ornamental plant.